Out of the Ashes (Trust Book 2)

by A M Raulerson

  The first entrance in front went directly to the first floor. It was an open space, that had a long bar and a stage where exhibitions were held. Smaller staging areas with different apparatuses framed the left wall. It featured spanking benches and a St Andrew’s Cross, among other things.

  To the right was a special room, with see through, sound proof walls. The decor was very lush and velvety. It had long couches and it’s own bar, it was a special place to talk without having to shout. It was a Dom lounge, called The Lair, where you had to be invited in, and subs were only allowed if their Dom brought them.

  The second door in the front had a staircase that went up. At the top there were changing rooms and lockers on the left. If you went straight on there was a horseshoe shaped bar area where you could drink and socialize while watching the action downstairs from the mezzanine.

  One of the outer doors on the side was a private exit from the Dom lounge, and the other was for employees and Chase’s office. I’d never used either, but I was always aware of my surroundings so I knew they were there.

  Walking towards the Lair, I had to control my temper. Chase and I needed to have a talk and it had been a long time coming.

  Turning to Alexi I looked him right in the eyes. He needed to do as he was told and I knew it would be hard for him, but this situation was mine to take care of.

  “You will not interfere with this Alexi. Do you understand? This is Dom to Dom. You may ask permission to speak when we are done but not before.”

  “But...”

  “No. I am your Patron and it is me that will finish this bebe.”

  I smoothed my fingers over his mouth, stopping him before he could say anything more.

  “I’ll take care of this and it will be finished.”

  I wouldn’t promise anything but that. I didn’t want this to come to blows, but if it did, I would not be on the losing end. I knew things that Chase had no knowledge of. I would win against that soft, entitled asshole.

  Walking into The Lair, soundproofed so we could talk over the thumping music in the rest of the club, I noticed we were not the first to arrive. Aaron and Simon were already there and a few of the other club owners that I knew by sight, but not by name.

  My eyes honed in on Chase though. He was leaning against the bar with a smug look on his face as we walked in, I wanted to wipe that smirk right off his face. I headed straight for him, Alexi holding on to the back of my shirt, not quite pulling at me, but I felt his need to hold on to me.

  Chase stood up straight when he saw me walking towards him. I saw Aaron stand up, but he stood where he was. He wouldn’t interfere unless it was necessary it seemed. I got directly into Chase’s face. I was roughly 2 or 3 inches taller than him, but much broader, and my chest was almost touching his. I looked him dead in the eye. I wouldn’t give an inch, and for a moment it seemed he would push back. He didn’t though. He looked behind me at Alexi and I growled in his face, making him look back at me.

  “He is no longer your concern! He is mine. Do you hear me Chase? We can do this the easy way or the hard way. That’s up to you. But this will be settled now.”

  I watched the changing emotions cross his face. He wanted to fight, to show his dominance, but at the same time I saw shame and sadness there. He pushed away from me and walked towards the couches, where the others sat. Sitting down in the curve of the blood red velvet couch, he lay his arms across the back of it and watched me out of the corner of his eye. I was a little disappointed that we wouldn’t be fighting physically but either way it would end, and that’s all I really wanted.

  “We need to talk. Now. I don’t want to do this with an audience, but that’s up to you, and you seem to want this to be public.” I said softly.

  Looking at Chase made my blood boil for a moment. I was trying to control my temper, but the arrogant look was on his face again. He nodded for me to continue even with Simon standing by the couches and Aaron and two of the other club owners sitting next to him. Maybe he thought he might need protection from me. I knew I had to control myself, but this little, petty game with Alexi was over.

  “It’s over. Do you hear me? Any further taunting, manipulation, or bickering will be dealt with by me! You had your chance with Alexi and you fucked it up. Now he is mine, and I will not stand by and watch you hurt him anymore. If you thought about anyone else but yourself you would have seen how much damage you’ve done to him. No real Dom should ever treat a sub the way you’ve treated him and I will not stand for it anymore. I don’t care about what any of these people think. You are no true Dom in my eyes.”

  I was practically seething by the time I was finished. The look on Chase’s face proved to me that he hadn’t even really looked at Alexi. Hadn’t seen what he was doing to him. Now maybe he could see it.

  “May I say something?”

  I turned to look at Aaron. I knew a little about him, and I did know he was a true Dom, caring for all subs. He was a therapist who helped victims of abuse and trauma, and he worked with the FBI. He would be a great help with the sub, Mason. I respected him because he did care, and I nodded my head for him to go ahead.

  “I hate to take sides in these kinds of things Chase, but I know that both you and Alexi have been hurting each other. We all noticed, and to tell you the truth I was going to say something about it too.

  “He’s right Chase. You are the Dom, you're supposed to take care of your sub and you failed. You cannot treat anyone like that, especially someone like Alexi. He’s still trying to be his bright sparkly self, but it isn’t like before. You’ve done a lot of damage and I’m not the only one who’s noticed it. Lucas is just the one who’s brought it to your attention.

  “None of us have been able to talk to you because you’ve shut us all out. This… vengeful behavior has to stop. You don’t even realize what you're doing. It isn’t just Alexi, either. Yes, he’s the one we’re talking about now, the one you’ve hurt the most but look at what you’ve done to the other subs you’ve been using.” I watched Aaron’s face and saw the sadness and anger there as he spoke to Chase.

  “Yes, I mean using, Chase. Your behavior is selfish and cruel, but that isn’t you. The real Chase doesn’t treat subs the way you have been. Whatever it is that’s going on with you needs to stop. You would never be treating the subs like this if you were paying attention to them instead of yourself.”

  The anger in Aaron’s voice seemed to do the trick. Chase sunk down in his seat and seemed to be really listening.

  “They’re both right, Chase. You have to let this go, and maybe you need to take a break from the subs. Get your head on straight. Cause this isn’t the Chase we know.” Simon’s voice may have been soft, but the strength behind it wasn’t.

  “I know I’m new here, but I’m not new to the scene. I’ve been watching you both for months. It’s been going both ways, but that stops now. I have Alexi now and I will not ignore this anymore. Do you understand me, Chase? He is mine and I protect what’s mine.”

  “I’m sorry.” Chase looked at me then at Alexi before looking away quickly.

  “I’m sorry, Alexi. He’s right. They all are, and it... I’m sorry.”

  Chase sat with his arms on his knees, head bowed. Finally realizing what had really been going on. I felt fingers on my arm and turned to Alexi.

  “May I say something, Patron?”

  The thrill of having Alexi ask permission to talk was tempered by the anger and fear I felt for him. I knew he needed to have his say too. I grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together and squeezed in support.

  “Chase, it hasn’t just been you hurting me. I’ve tried to hurt you too. I’ve lashed out at you and egged you on. It’s just as much my fault as it is yours and I’m sorry. I know we’re both better than this, so I’d like to offer you an olive branch. Truce?”

  As Chase raised his head he looked directly at Alexi, I wanted to growl and stand in front of him but I felt Alexi squeeze my fingers tight. He knew what I wanted, and
he was right. All of this had to be stopped or none of us would be able to work together. Sighing, I squeezed back and pulled him closer, throwing my arm around his shoulders, pulling him against my chest, but never letting go of his hand.

  Chase seemed to be really seeing Alexi. Not the object of his anger, the one harassing him, but Alexi himself.

  “I’m sorry, Alexi. I truly am. Truce.” He sighed deeply, sitting back in the couch.

  “Alright, since we got that out of the way, maybe we can talk about something else?” Aaron said, trying to break up the anger and tension in the room.

  “You have a lot to think about later, Chase. But for right now, I think we need to talk about the bigger problem. This is your show Lucas, so why don’t you start us off.”

  I was still pretty pissed, but Aaron was right. The argument was settled, even if my anger was not. Mason and The Osiris Circle were much more important. I moved to the couch and sat, pulling Alexi down beside me. I wanted him sitting at my feet. While that thought thrilled me, he needed to feel like he could contribute to the conversation without having to ask permission first. Looking him in the eye, I whispered to him.

  “You don’t need to ask permission now, you may say anything you like. But remember that I will punish you later, if I think you need it.”

  Watching a shiver run through Alexi, I smiled to myself. Looking up I saw Chase watching us with a sad expression on his face. He nodded to me and looked away. It was an apology from Dom to Dom. He finally saw what he was doing so maybe now he would watch himself. No Dom should treat a sub the way he had been, and he realized that now.

  “Now, I think we need to start with your plans Lucas. We all know the basic story that Chase knows, so we don’t have to go through that, but I’m sure you have some plans that we don’t know about yet.” Aaron said, passing the floor to me.

  “Alexi and I will be going undercover. I already have a lunch meeting tomorrow with the ‘Dom’ in question.”

  I told them quickly about the short conversation with Andrew and releasing him.

  “You just let him go?” Chase was mad now.

  “Yes. I treated Alexi just as I believe this guy would have treated Mason. I was rude to him and sent him scurrying out of the room. Andrew Duggins fell for it, so we’ll see what he has to say tomorrow. I need you all to keep your distance from us. When we’re undercover we need to be fully immersed in it. And while Alexi knows you, he will not be allowed to talk to you. I have to appear just like Andrew. As disgusting as that feels to you, trust me it’s the same for me, but this may be the only way into this. We need to know just how far this goes, and this will be our in.” I really didn’t like this anymore than they did, but it’s what we were going with.

  “I know you’re all concerned about me. I know you don’t want me involved with these people, but Lucas is right. It’s the cards we’ve been dealt and with Lucas by my side I’ll be okay. Undercover work is hard, and it’s dangerous. If we can stop this, it’s worth it.”

  I was so proud of Alexi. He knew this would be difficult, but he was willing to put his life on the line for these victims. He was confident and determined that we would get these men arrested and the subs freed.

  “We have backup, and we’ll keep in contact with him. Detective Sam Baker is the person you should call if you find anything. He’ll get the information to us. Chase, you’ll still need to give Alexi the cold shoulder. Give the appearance that the two of you are still fighting but nothing else.” I gave him a look and he nodded his head.

  “It’s important for you to keep your eyes open. I’m not sure what these guys will do now that they think they have a cop on their side. They may hide, but I think this will give them an incentive to act out more publicly. They’re arrogant and self-absorbed. Andrew Duggins creeps me out, but I’m good at playing sleazy. How many club owners have you contacted?”

  “Well, I can speak on that. I’m Bastion Dunne, owner of Fly on the Wall. This is Darion Black owner of Sanctuary, and Warren Belzer, owner of Devil’s Playground, has been told. He’s a little sleazy but trustworthy. He lets some stuff slide that we wouldn’t allow, but he would never permit this kind of stuff. He knows, and he’ll be on the lookout.”

  Bastion Dunne was a muscular man, relatively plain unless you looked in his eyes. Medium height with short blonde hair, but his green eyes had a way of looking at you as if he knew exactly what, and who, you were. I was glad he was on our side.

  Darion Black looked like his name. He had shaggy hair so dark it was almost blue and black, almost soulless looking, eyes. He was tall, covered in tattoos and wore thick black eyeliner. He had on a wife beater and jeans and was showing off full sleeves on both arms and over his chest. You couldn’t see all of it, but what you could see seemed to move as he shifted. He knew how he looked and worked it, knowing people were watching.

  “I’m here! The party can begin.”

  We all looked up and watched as a slender woman came strolling in with two, almost identical, subs not far behind.

  “I’m Madame Mariska. I don’t know you, but now you know me!”

  Madame Mariska seemed to be a ball of fire. She was the owner of a club called Slap and Tickle. She just rolled in and made herself known. She took over the stage. Bastion Dunne was smiling, he bowed slightly and with a flick of his wrist conceded the floor to her.

  “I know what Chase has said, how about you?” She smirked, looking at me. I was star struck at first. With her four inch stiletto heels and over the knee boots she may have only reached 5’5”, but her attitude was enough to have all eyes on her and the blonde bombshell knew it too. After we relayed our plan so far, she frowned.

  “Are you sure you’ll be safe? From what I’ve heard these guys are vicious.”

  “It’s dangerous, but we know that going in. We’ll watch out for each other. We’ve both done undercover work before, but like I mentioned to everyone else, don’t come to us unless it’s life or death. Don’t blow our cover. If you have something to tell us, contact Detective Sam Baker. He’ll relay the info to us. You have to let us work.

  “This may be the only way in so we can stop them. We need to see just how far this goes, and we may have to do some things you don’t approve of. I hate that, but this is important, and I will never do anything to damage Alexi in any way. Physically or mentally. He’s mine and I will protect him, but I’ll have to do some things that neither of us like. We both know that going in.”

  No one looked happy about that, but it wasn’t their decision, so there wasn’t much they could do.

  “The FBI won’t be involved too much, but they have been informed of this, of course. With the implication of subs being kidnapped from other states a possibility, they have tentative jurisdiction. I’ve spoken to my contacts and will, for the moment, be in charge of the FBI’s involvement. If you need anything from me, computer stuff, forensics, or profiling I can help. It’s in your hands for now. Just keep me in the loop so my contacts don’t get antsy.” Aaron was concerned, you could see it in his face. He also knew that things like this were a necessary evil.

  “Will do and I appreciate you sticking your neck out for us. FBI people messing with our op would definitely be a headache I don’t need.”

  Smiling at Aaron, I got a smug little snort and a nod. The FBI always did make things difficult and Aaron knew it.

  “Do we know anything at all about the other Club owners? I’ve heard a few rumors, but I’m new here so I don’t really know what’s gossip, and what really is a problem spot or who to look out for.”

  *************

  Alexi

  Watching Lucas take charge made me relax. I knew I was in good hands with this. It wouldn’t be pleasant at times, but I wasn’t worried about that. Lucas would never do anything to really hurt me. I felt peace settle in my heart when I looked at Chase. It was finally over and we both apologized to each other.

  The side door opened and David, Charlie and Justin walked in. I knew
David and Charlie. I also knew Justin was a work in progress with Aaron. One of his ‘special ones’.

  “Don’t mind us, we know what's going on, but Charlie thinks he knows one of the Doms. Chase, Aaron, you’ve met Derek before.”

  “This sounds just up Derek’s alley. I’ve seen him a time or two and he’s still angry. There’s something in him that I just can’t explain. He’s violent and domineering, so if I’m right he’s probably involved. Derek Slate - he’s tall, with brown hair, brown eyes. Full of himself and he’s mean. He has a real short fuse and will strike out for no reason. He’s a Dom because he likes to hurt people, not because he wants to take care of someone. If I had to guess, I would absolutely say he’d be involved.” Charlie’s voice was strong, but you could see a mixture of fear and anger when he talked about this man.